All the networks broke in live at 8 p.m. and it was the first time a Supreme Court pick has ever been announced in primetime.

Ever the master showman, Trump kept his pick a top secret in order to build up mystery for the national audience. Many are comparing the event to something straight out of the finale he used to have on Celebrity Apprentice.

It came down to two finalists -- Gorsuch from Colorado and federal Judge Thomas Hardiman from Pennsylvania.

Gorsuch only learned that he was the pick when Trump telephoned him Monday. What ensued was a cloak and dagger road trip to bring Gorsuch and his wife, Louise, to Washington.

They were instructed to go to a neighbor's house in Boulder, Colorado -- then driven by back roads to the airport and flown by military jet to Andrews Air Force base outside Washington.

To build up the suspense, the White House apparently leaked misleading information that Hardiman was also on his way to the nation's capital.

Hardiman never left Pennsylvania. He was spotted by a CNN crew at a gas station filling up his car.

The big reveal came before an audience of VIP's in the East Room of the White House. Top Democrats boycotted Trump's announcement.

At 8:02 p.m., with the entire country watching, Trump took center stage and announced Gorsuch as his pick.